Time builders · KDTO
Time building without the rental-line nonsense.
A predictable aircraft, a published wet rate, and a schedule that is not fighting a full flight school. Build hours in the Jabiru J170 at $135 per hour wet, or move up to the Cirrus SR20-G2 for instrument and cross-country time.
Hour builder
Plan the block. See the number.
Set the hours you need and the window you want to fly them in. Every figure below is the published wet rate plus dues — the same numbers that land on your invoice.
50 hours in 6 months · N538J
$7,350
All-in club cost before instruction — $147 per logged hour.
- 50 hr × $135 wet
- $6,750
- 6 × dues at $100
- $600
- Budget per month
- $1,225
- Pace
- 8.3 hr / month
vs. Typical DFW C172 rental
The same 50 hours at $195/hr runs $9,750. You keep $2,400 — dues included, fuel included.
Estimates only. Flight time is billed in tenth-of-an-hour increments at the published wet rate, dues are billed on your club invoice, and instruction is billed separately when you fly with a CFI. Market comparison rates are typical DFW-area advertised rentals, dry, as of 2026.
Why time build here
A club built for pilots who just need to fly.
Published wet rates
Every rate on the site matches the invoice. Fuel is included, so a long cross-country does not turn into a pump reconciliation at the end of the day.
Consistent aircraft
Fly the same tail number every time. You learn the avionics once, the handling once, and the squawk history once.
No scheduling queue
A small member base means real availability for blocks, cross-countries and recurrent training flights.
One invoice, everything
Aircraft time, instruction and dues all arrive on the same club invoice. CFIs are paid by the club, so you never settle up separately.
Aircraft
Pick the right tool for the hours you need.
Jabiru J170 — $135/hr wet
The cheapest way to build time at KDTO. Two seats, 100kt cruise, 35 gal fuel, and a 617lb useful load. Ideal for VFR time building, flight reviews and staying current.
Cirrus SR20-G2 — $250/hr wet
IFR-equipped with Avidyne Entegra, DFC 100 autopilot, ADS-B In/Out and CAPS. Four seats, 155kt cruise and 60.5 gal fuel. Best for instrument time, cross-country trips and complex aircraft experience.
Real math
What a block of hours costs.
Numbers below use the Jabiru J170 at $135 per hour wet, plus club dues of $100 per month. Cirrus flights are billed at $250 per hour wet for members.
25 hours in 3 months
25 flight hours × $135 + 3 months × $100 = $3,675 before instruction. Enough for a private pilot finish or a flight review cycle.
50 hours in 6 months
50 flight hours × $135 + 6 months × $100 = $7,350 before instruction. A solid block for a commercial or CFI applicant.
100 hours in 12 months
100 flight hours × $135 + 12 months × $100 = $14,700 before instruction. Annual prepay drops the dues to $1,000 for the year.
50 hours in the Cirrus
50 flight hours × $250 + 6 months × $100 = $13,100 before instruction. Mix of instrument and cross-country time in a glass-panel aircraft.
Missions
What members actually do with the time.
Local proficiency
Stay current with landings, patterns and slow-flight work in a consistent light sport aircraft without burning your budget.
Cross-country trips
The Jabiru carries enough fuel for meaningful 300-400nm legs. The Cirrus covers longer trips and faster connections with full IFR capability.
Instrument currency
Both SR20-G2s are IFR-approved with GPS, autopilot and ADS-B. Keep your IPC, holds and approaches sharp without owning a complex aircraft.
Rating prep
Commercial applicants, CFI candidates and instrument students build the required hours while working with A4-approved CFIs.
How it starts
Four steps to logging time.
1. Apply
Tell us your certificate, hours and what you intend to fly. We review every application and verify FAA records.
2. Join
Pay the $500 club buy-in, start your $100/mo dues and sign the member agreement.
3. Checkout
Fly with an approved CFI in each aircraft type you want to access. The checkout is logged in your portal record.
4. Book and fly
Reserve the aircraft directly from the portal, run dispatch and post-flight check-in, and see flight time on the same invoice.
Included
What comes with the hours.
Managed maintenance
100-hour and annual tracking, squawk reporting and grounding decisions are handled by the club, not passed between members.
Insurance and FBO access
Club hull and liability coverage on the fleet, plus access to Sheltair's full-service FBO at KDTO.
Digital logbook
Upload photos or PDFs of your existing logbook and have entries digitized into your portal record automatically.
Weather and dispatch
Check weather, file a dispatch, record hobbs and squawks, and review aircraft status from your phone at the aircraft.
Billing
One invoice. The club handles all of it.
A4 handles all billing, including instruction. Aircraft time at the published wet rate, instruction and membership dues arrive on a single club invoice — you never settle up separately with your CFI, and instructors never chase students for payment. The club pays approved CFIs directly.
The fleet
Three aircraft, published wet rates.
Every rate below includes fuel and comes from the same record members book against.
N94RS
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20 · 2006
- Seats
- 4
- Cruise
- 155 kt
- Burn
- 10.5 gph
N36PL
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20 · 2006
- Seats
- 4
- Cruise
- 155 kt
- Burn
- 10.5 gph
N538J
Jabiru J170 · 2008
- Seats
- 2
- Cruise
- 100 kt
- Burn
- 5 gph
Fuel math
Wet rates, checked against the pump.
Set today's fuel price and compare the club's wet rate with a dry rate plus fuel.
- Club wet rate
- $250.00 / hr
- Fuel at 10.5 gph
- $64.58 / hr
- Equivalent dry rate
- $185.43 / hr
The club rate includes fuel. To compare against a dry rental, add the fuel line above to that rental's posted hourly rate. Instruction, when you fly with a club CFI, appears on the same club invoice — one invoice, everything included.
On the line
Our aircraft, our ramp.
Every photograph is a club aircraft at Denton Enterprise Airport.
- $135
- Lowest wet rate per hour
- 1 hr
- Minimum reservation, then 0.1 hr increments
- 3
- Aircraft, one field, one standard
- 100%
- Online booking, dispatch and invoicing
Head to head
Club hours vs. the rental line.
Time building is a volume game. What decides the total is not the sticker rate — it is fuel, availability, downtime and how many surprises land on the invoice.
| A4Flight membership | Typical rental line | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | Published wet rate — fuel and oil included | Dry rate plus fuel at whatever the pump says that day |
| Aircraft you get | The same tail number, same avionics, every flight | Whatever is left on the line when you show up |
| Availability | Small member base, real weekend and multi-day blocks | Behind a full-time student schedule |
| Overnight trips | Multi-day reservations at a $1,000 per day minimum charge or actual flight time, whichever is greater, subject to advance approval | Daily minimums that punish a weather day |
| Billing | One club invoice: aircraft, instruction and dues | Separate CFI settle-up, fuel receipts and surcharges |
| Maintenance | Managed inspections, tracked squawks, club grounding calls | Found out it was down when you arrived |
| Your records | Digitized logbook, currency tracking and Part 61 audit in the portal | Paper logbook and a spreadsheet |
Start logging the hours you actually need.
Apply, get verified, check out with an approved CFI, and book straight from the portal. Most members are flying within two weeks.
